By Myris Lee
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) assured on Monday (April 4) that the country’s COVID-19 vaccination drive will continue amid the ongoing local campaigns.
In the Laging Handa briefing, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco V. Densing III said they coordinated with local health officials to ensure that the vaccination drive will remain unhampered ahead of the May 2022 polls.
“Isa sa napagkasunduan namin ay ituloy pa rin itong vaccination sites, wala pong isasara. At kaya minsan po kung wala po iyong local chief executive dahil nangangampanya, ay kausap naman namin ang local health officials para tuluy-tuloy pa rin ang pagbabakuna sa mga lugar dito sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.
Densing also reported that around 12 million individuals, the majority from the National Capital Region, have already received their booster shots.
However, there are still provinces with low immunization rates, especially in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
‘Iyong ating mga probinsiya po ay mababa lalo na po sa BARMM at ito po iyong lugar na kailangan talaga nating tutukan at kumbinsihin na magpabakuna. Hindi nga lang booster sa BARMM eh, pati iyong primary shots ay kailangan pa rin,” Densing said.
He noted that the DILG and the Department of Health is studying to redefine the term “fully vaccinated” as those who received booster doses after the primary shots. -gb
